Clear Sky
by Arroba Dotcom
Summary: With Souji Seta out of Inaba, the investigation team get back to their normal lives. There aren't anymore murder cases to solve... But that doesn't mean their lifes are boring now, right? Not when Kanji and Naoto are finally getting to know each other.
1. Channel 1

Well, I finally decided to publish something here. I was always hesitant since my first language isn't English, but I decided that I'll try my best.

I'm a big fan of the Shin Megami Tensei game series, and so I decided to make a Persona 4 fanfic, dedicated to my OTP. XP  
Hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 4 or any characters in it.

* * *

**CHANNEL 1  
**

**#New School Year#**  
**{The weird trio}**

Monday, April 9th of 2012  
-Rain

It was another day at old boring Inaba. The rain poured heavily from the sky with no signs of a clear sky soon, as students walked along the pathway with their umbrellas heading towards Yasogami High School. It was the start of a new school year and besides the noise coming from the pouring rain, excited chatting could be heard between some of the students, news and interesting happenings from their holidays and, most probably, rumors as well. With a town as small as Inaba it was actually quite hard to keep a secret for long as the information travelled quickly. There were advantages and disadvantages to this, of course.

Between the mass of students entering the school, was a much taller boy, hair bleached blond, who stood out greatly from the other students. He pulled his uniform jacket over his shoulders after closing his black umbrella and placing it over the lockers, ignoring the few freshmen students who backed away, wary of his physical appearance of a delinquent, with piercings on his nose and ears, and a skull shirt to show off to everyone else.

Kanji Tatsumi was a second year student this year. Last year he had been in a quite dire situation where he was forced to agree to the mandatory attendance policy, but fortunately, with the help of his friends, he was able to pass the year. However, he couldn't say that he was really looking forward to have classes again. School was as boring as ever. Probably the most boring place in Inaba.

He headed over to the notice board where the new classes were posted to see which class he would be in. He wasn't really expecting to have anyone he knew, or was friendly with, in his class, and his classmates had always been a pain in the ass and avoided him, plus the luck he had, he was quite sure he'd end up in some crappy class with a crappy homeroom teacher again. The other students he got along in the same year he was in were only Naoto Shirogane and Rise Kujikawa, and the three of them had been in separate classes last year. The school usually followed the same classes throughout the three years of high school, so they'd probably continue in different classes for the upcoming years.

When he approached the board, the closer students backed away almost immediately, fear apparent in their eyes, but Kanji paid no attention as he was already used to the reaction. Instead, he focused on the board, looking over the second year classes. He didn't see his name on the Class 3 of year 2, which was a surprise for him as he had been a student of Class 3 of year 1 last year. He only found his name on the Class 1 of year 2, where he also spotted the name "Rise Kujikawa" while he was looking and he silently grunted to himself. It wasn't exactly bad to have someone he knew in his class, but Rise seemed to enjoy annoying Kanji or embarrass him in the worst moments, not to mention make fun of his crush on Naoto.

So, what if he still liked the pint-sized detective who once everyone thought was a boy? But Rise wasn't alone since Yosuke enjoyed teasing him as well with the same subject. The older boy was once awkward around Kanji when this one had been confused about his sexuality when he first met Naoto, thinking he was gay for liking another boy. But now that the whole town of Inaba knew Naoto's true gender, Yosuke poked fun at Kanji even more, making him snap and blush in most situations when it involved Naoto.

However, over the months they had been working together to solve the murder cases, nothing seemed to have blossomed between the Naoto and Kanji. The detective girl seemed oblivious to his feelings despite the hints that were thrown at her, but it would look as if Naoto only had the smarts for cases and not for such trivial things like falling in love. Kanji didn't blame her. After all, she was determine to become a great detective and was often absorbed in mystery books and real cases. It really didn't matter either way. It was not like he was expecting something to happen between them anyways.

With a sigh, Tatsumi walk up the stairs to the second floor, heading directly to his homeroom. As he peered inside, he noticed Rise wasn't there yet, which was a relief since he could enjoy a little moment without the girl throwing herself onto him and kept talking like forever. He knew it wouldn't take long for her to arrive though.

He walked over to the desks by the window, flopping down on a seat. He rather preferred the seats by the window, they were much more relaxing than the ones in the middle of the room where the teachers often chose to pick someone to answer the board (though even teachers feared him enough to dare ask him questions). It was no surprise when the students in the room started picking seats on the other end of the room.

With an elbow on the desk and chin resting on his palm, Kanji glanced over to the window, gazing down at the students arriving at the school gate. He noticed Chie Satonaka and Yukiko Amagi talking happily between them, with Yukiko laughing when Chie did a fighting pose of her own keeping a grip on her own umbrella. It was quite easy to spot these two as Chie wore a green jacket over her uniform and Yukiko a red jacket and headband. Looking at them now made him wonder how different things were going to be in their year. Souji-sempai was quite popular at their school and without him around, Kanji bet things were going to return to their dull selves. It had been a couple of weeks since he was gone anyways. Yosuke had been his closest friend, so Kanji wondered if his senior missed him more than the rest of the team. At least he had other friends he could count on and-

"KAAANNNJIII~!"

His chin slipped from his palm and he hit his face hard on the surface of the desk at the loud noise. With a groan and pulling his head back, he turned to look to the door while rubbing his sore nose. And indeed, her voice had not betrayed her. Standing by the door was no other than Rise Kujikawa herself. She had her hands on her hips and was grinning at Kanji.

With a few skips she reached his desk in seconds and giggled excitedly while placing her hands on the wooden surface of the desk. "Kanji, we're in the same class this year~ Isn't it awesome?" She made a few giggles and sat on his desk not bothering to ask him if he minded. "Oooh, I can already imagine the fun we're going to have together~! This couldn't have been better!"

Kanji leaned back on his chair and tried to ignore the way Rise was moving her legs his way to provoke him. "Yeah, yeah, I saw yer name on the list." He crossed his arms over his chest and grunted. "But I ain't gonna make you lunch or give you my animal crackers, ya hear me?"

Rise giggled some more, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth. "Oooh, so mean, Kanji~" She tilted her head to the side. "But it won't be fair if you don't treat me equal to her. Are you sure, you're okay with this?" She swinged her legs a little bit. "Hmmm, maybe I should help you a little now that there are more opportunities. I can give you some tips~"

A frown was shown on his face as he raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What're ya talking about?"

She blinked, staring at Kanji for a moment, before letting out another giggle. "Perhaps, you don't know it yet? How cute~" She moved to stand on the floor again and winked at Kanji. "This will be interesting. I can't wait to see your face when you see her… Oh! Speaking of the devil…" She turned to look to the door.

He followed her eyes to the door, wondering what Rise was up to. When he took notice of the person standing by door, his eyes widened and he almost fell off his chair right then. He felt his blood rush to his cheeks and battled furiously to keep his composure.

Naoto was still standing between the corridor and her new homeroom, hand rested on the door that she had just opened and stopped still as a statue when the first people she noticed were Rise and Kanji. Her eyes were widened and the words died on her throat when she thought about greeting them. She took a step back to look at the number on the door and, it was no mistake, this was her homeroom indeed. However, she was not expecting to see either Kanji or Rise in the same class as her.

"Morning, Naoto-kun!" Rise greeted her while waving a hand.

It took a few more seconds, but Naoto finally found her voice again, coughing a little before speaking. "Good morning, Rise-san, Kanji-kun." She slowly walked over to them, keeping a firm grip on her bag. "I didn't know you were in my class."

Rise simply smiled. "Didn't you check the notice board?"

Naoto shook her head in response, tilting the brim of her cap further over her eyes. "No. I was at the police station with my grandfather last night discussing matters with the other police officers. This town has become quiet now that the murder cases are over, but I still try to help the police force whenever I have the chance. I… can't seem to help it." A sigh escaped from her lips. "I sent a message to Chie-sempai asked her to tell me my class in advance once she had the information as I couldn't be sure if I was going to arrive late. Fortunately, such did not happen since I made it in time, though barely." She added the last part as the school bell rang.

Rise but smiled even wider. "But isn't this just nice? We get to be together! It was sad that we were all in different classes last year, but it turns out lady luck has shined on us and we get to see each other more. I got bored pretty easily in my last class but now that I'm with you two, I know I'll have fun!" She would have talked more had the teacher not appeared at that moment.

Shirogane took the seat behind Kanji, placing her bag beside the desk, while Rise took the seat beside her. All the while Kanji had been silent, still taking the surprising news that he was in the same class of Naoto Shirogane. He wasn't sure if it was positive or negative yet, but at least she had taken the seat behind him and so he wouldn't be too distracted during class. Not that he actually paid much attention. And luckily enough they were by the window so his height wouldn't be a problem for her as their heights were quite different in numbers, and he knew the detective wouldn't admit that to herself (or to the others as a matter of fact).

"Good morning, students. My name is Hosoi and I shall be your homeroom teacher for this year." Mr. Hosoi was talking through a hand puppet, which some students found ridiculous as hell, though Kanji thought the puppet looked nicely done. It actually looked like Mr. Hosoi. At least it wasn't Kashiwagi.

It wasn't long before the teacher started taking roll and after answering to his name, Kanji sighed and rested his head on his arms, not bothering to pay attention to class. Classes had just started, he was still not in the mood to listening to useless crap. He would just take a nice and long nap and only wake-up once school was over… wait. But then, what would Naoto think of him? Without realizing, he was already straight on his chair again, eyes locked on the blackboard. He turned his head slightly to the side to gaze back to Naoto but immediately turned back to stare to the board once he saw the weird look the girl detective was giving him.

It took only a few minutes of attention to make him feel sleepy. He gave up then, deciding he couldn't do it. But he wasn't going to sleep as well, so he opted to rest his cheek on his palm and look outside the window.

* * *

"Yo, Kanji! Naoto!"

Both Kanji and Naoto turned their heads from their seats, seeing Yosuke enter their homeroom, followed by Yukiko and Chie. Classes had already finished for their first day of school and Rise had said something incoherent and unidentifiable for her other two friends before bolting out of the room. Naoto had been packing her notebooks and Kanji was about to get up when their seniors appeared. Both of them got up at the same time, greeting back.

"Hey there, sempai." Kanji, said, making a gesture with his hand. "What's up?"

"Good afternoon." Naoto nodded her head, a hand reaching for her hat.

Chie grinned at them. "I see you're in the same class this year! Luckily for us, we got to be in the same class again too." She told them with a thumbs-up. "I was a little nervous I wouldn't get to be in the same class with Yukiko… but it turns out everything's cool."

Yosuke frowned and turned his head her direction. "Hey! What about me?"

Chie simply acted as if he hadn't said anything so Yukiko took a step forward facing their younger friends. "I heard Rise-chan's with you two as well. This must be a sign of a good year. Things have gone back to the way things were when Souji hadn't been here and we already miss him, but it's like he left a good impression in this town." A smile formed on her lips as she said so. "I hear other students talking about him in the hallways saying how great of a person he was."

Yosuke nodded his head beside her. "Yeah, we all miss the good guy… But he said he should be back soon so we don't have to act like he's gone." He glanced towards Kanji and Naoto. "Where's Rise, anyway?"

"She left just a moment ago." Naoto answered, eyes landing on the door behind Yosuke for a second before looking back at him.

He shrugged. "Heh, she should be back soon." Then he crossed his arms and grinned widely. "By the ways, did you guys know? About Teddie?" Chie, Yukiko, Naoto and Kanji looked back at Yosuke with confused expression and question marks above their heads.

"Oh! Sempai, you're here!"

They turned to the door to see Rise entering the room with…

"Teddie is in the house!" Said a very happy voice.

Their eyes widened. Teddie was in their school, wearing their uniform! Even then he still didn't lose his sparking appeal and the rose he usually wore on his shirt was stuck onto the uniform jacket to add to that charming feeling of his. He trotted after Rise gathering with the others and smiling like an idiot. Actually, it did fit since he looked like a child first going to school and this was indeed his first time going to Yasogami High as a student.

"Wait, what is Teddie doing here? He's not a student, is he?" Asked Chie, looking towards Yosuke.

"Well, he seemed pretty bored at home, whining that all he did was work at the shop, so I decided to enter him into this school." He replied.

Teddie did indeed look more excited than ever. "Hehe, hello there fellow schoolmates. From now on I'm a first year student in this high school. Please go easy on me…" He told them, sending sparkles their direction. How was it possible that it looked as if there was even more sparkles than usual?

Chie frowned, contemplating the situation. "Is this okay, though?"

A chuckle escaped from Yosuke and he waved a hand. "It's no big deal! Teddie will fit nicely and the teachers were okay with this whole thing, they didn't even ask many questions about his past. Even if they did we could've come up with something."

Teddie giggled. "My, it's so nice to be able to school with all of you… I just wished I could have gone here when Sensei was still around, but I'm still gonna have fun with you all!"

Everyone turned to look as Rise gave Teddie a hug. "Awww, welcome to Yasogami, Teddie! I'm sure you'll have a great time here with us to be able to guide you!"

"I don't think there'll be a problem seeing as Teddie is more human now than ever. Since he has decided to live with us in the human world I suppose going to high school is a good step into making him acknowledge the variety of culture and general views there are in this world." Naoto said, expressing her opinion on the matter after thinking about it. "Plus, he might get to meet other people."

"Yeah, just don't let yerself get bullied, 'kay Teddie?" Added Kanji with a smile.

Yukiko laced her fingers together behind her back and smiled. "I don't think that'll be problem with Teddie. He seems to handle situations quite well with that personality of his."

They received another couple of sparkles sent their way by Teddie. "Aww, you guys are so friendly… You'll always be my best friends in the world!"

Yosuke looked from Teddie to the others. School was about to close soon and they were all in the second year room, so they should be heading back soon. However he still felt that they needed to spend some time together that day so he opened up a suggestion. "Hey guys, what do you say we hit at Junes or something?"

"Oh! Great idea, Yosuke-sempai! It's been a while since we've gathered there!" They heard Rise said.

Everyone seemed to like the idea as well as they all looked excited with smiles on their faces. "We get to go to our secret hideout!" Chie said excitedly, throwing a punch in the air.

"We're still calling it that?" Naoto asked.

Yukiko giggled in response and turned on her heels and they all moved to walk out the homeroom, on their way to exit the school. "Well, it's still our favorite place to hang out and that place means a lot to us, so why not?"

Kanji turned his head towards Yosuke. "This one's on you, right, sempai?"

"Hell no!"

* * *

Thank you for reading.  
I'm not very active with fictions so I can't tell how much I'll be updating this fic. I don't want to promise anything but I shall update this whenever I can.

**UPDATE:** I felt that I need to place the next part in this chapter. Let's hope for another update soon!


	2. Channel 2

Haha, I guess I'm having too much fun writing this so I quickly updated with the second chapter. Also, I added more to the first chapter, so if you haven't read the new text I suggest you do it before reading this.

**NOTE:** Keep the following in mind when reading the story.

- "talking"  
- _'thinking'_

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 4 or any characters in it.

* * *

**CHANNEL 2  
**

**#The Detective's Hat#**  
**{Naoto-kun's case}**

Wednesday, April 25th of 2012  
- Cloudy

The team spent the days following the beginning of the school term hanging out after school and making plans for the upcoming year. Since the exams were weeks away they decided that this was the best time for them to have a little fun while they had the chance, as they knew that once exams closed in everyone would look as gloomy as a sky with no sun. Kind of like the day it was that day – cloudy, dark and no single trace of a ray of sun. It was expected to rain later that day.

Two weeks had already passed since the first day of school when Naoto met Yosuke by the shoe lockers that morning. He had walked from his house like always again, keeping that idea of his that one day he was going to have a motorcycle and use it to go anywhere he wanted. He had been changing his shoes when he took notice of the short detective and after closing the locker door he walked over to her side just as she closed hers.

"Yo, Naoto! How's it going?"

Shirogane looked at him and nodded. "Good Morning, Yosuke-sempai." She turned on her heels to head over to the stairs.

Yosuke walked alongside her, keeping his hands in his pocket and showing off a goofy grin. "Last encounter was fun, wasn't it? For a first, Teddie looked completely lost of what to do! But it was his fault that he ended up without dinner…" He moved his arms up and placed his hands behind his head. "It's great that that guy's having no problem keeping up with the pace. He seems to be enjoying the school way more than he should."

Naoto nodded and readjusted her hat. "It's no surprise since it is Teddie we are talking about. However, I am concerned about his studies." A hand reached her chin in a pensive way. "He has spent an awfully lot of time having 'fun' and, it would seem, no time to do school work."

"I can't blame him for that." Yosuke said with a shrug. "Oh, wait there was something else I needed to talk to you about…" He paused for a moment before saying. "That's right! Hey, Naoto! You know, when I once told you last year how you weren't quite perceptive to other people's feelings?"

Naoto looked up to him. "Yes. I remember you saying something along those lines… If I remember correctly it was around Oct-…"

"Yeah, yeah! Whatever!" Yosuke threw his hands in the air. "I mean, seriously! I thought you'd change after this whole time! Dude, last time when we all got together, Kanji…" He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. They stopped once they reached the second floor. "Look. It doesn't really concern me but I was shocked you brushed off Kanji so easily after he went out and suggested fixing your hat. What's up with that?"

At that, Naoto took of her hat to take a look inside it. It was no denying it. She had had that old cap for years and it was finally showing signs of being well-worn. A few strands were broken and the cloth was slowly tearing away. In honestly, she had previously refused Kanji's help for fixing her hat because she felt attached to her hat and didn't trust anyone with it. Besides, she couldn't stand not having her hat with her and she pretty much didn't have evidence that Kanji was quite capable at this sort of things. What if he only made things worse?

"I just… this hat is very precious to me." She couldn't find words to describe her view of things.

That was the final cue to him, a proof that indeed, Naoto hadn't improved much from the last time they had a conversation regarding her perceptions. "Come on… we're not talking about your hat here." The school bell reached their ears and Yosuke grunted in response. "Anyways…. Nah, forget it." He waved a hand at her. "I gotta go upstairs, I'll see you around."

Naoto placed the hat back over her head and nodded in response, beginning to wonder if there was something she had been missing. She frowned, not liking the idea that something seemed amiss. She was supposed to be a detective, so how could she let things get pass by unnoticed while others apparently looked liked they knew what was going on?

* * *

It was lunchtime and the seven of them was all seated at the rooftop eating their lunch. Most of them had finished theirs already and waited for the rest to finish (like Rise who rather talked instead of eating). Naoto was seated beside Rise, a little far off to the side, her hat in her hands as she analyzed the new deformations on her most prized possession. The hat had been a gift from her grandfather when she started assisting him with his cases so she was devastated to realize that the more she wore it now the more she was ruining it. Perhaps it was time for her to stop using it… maybe it would last longer if she kept it save in her house. But part of her refused the idea since she believe the purpose of her hat was to be with her at all times, like something that declared she was a detective.

Inspecting the cap closer, she noticed a stain at the back of the hat on the inside. She rubbed a finger over it and frowned when it didn't come off. She couldn't let there be a stain now… Why did it look like everything was fighting for her to just stop using the hat? She would need to go to the bathroom and see if she could get it off.

"Uh, if you'll excuse me." She said, catching the attention of the others. "I need to go for now." Her eyes fell on Kanji and Rise. "I'll see you back in the classroom."

They watched as Naoto stood up and exited the roof through the door. Once she was out of sight Rise turned to the others with a smile with a mix of business-like tone in her voice. "Alright, guys, she's gone. We were actually hoping to discuss this after school, but this fits even better."

Yosuke groaned a little. "Rise, finish your lunch…" He waited until the girl placed another piece of food in her mouth to continue. "You mean about Naoto's birthday, right? Come to think of it, how do you suppose she'd like her party? I don't see Naoto as a party-person, if you get me."

Chie scratched her head lost in thought. "I see what you mean. Last time we had fun at that nightclub Naoto-kun didn't seem that comfortable. I guess she was out of her element there." She frowned. "And something tells me she's not going to be that happy if we make that big of a deal."

"Why don't we have a party over inside the TV?" Teddie suggested from his position. "Nao-chan seems to really enjoy anything that has a mystery ring to it and we did solve all of our cases there."

Yosuke shook his head. "Nah, that won't do. We made a promise that we wouldn't go back there without Souji unless we really needed to. It just doesn't feel right… and I doubt Naoto would enjoy it either. Most of us feel a little awkward where we confronted our Shadows."

"But if we go by what she likes, we may be looking the wrong place. It ain't like we can relate murder cases to parties. Birthdays are supposed to be a good thing." Kanji spoke up. "We should go by what would make her happy."

Rise nodded in agreement. "Yeah, like something she holds very dear. This will be the first time celebrating her birthday with us so we better get her to cherish the day."

"I think Naoto-kun would be happy with a simple dinner together." They all turned to face Yukiko who had just finished voicing her opinion. "Naoto-kun dislikes being a burden to others and I believe that, to her, what would really matter is the thought itself. She hates being alone so a moment with her friends is all she really needs."

"I agree with Yukiko. This is Naoto we're talking about. But then, where should we hold the dinner?" Yosuke glanced around.

They all turned their heads when Teddie shot his hand in the air as if he was in class. "Teddie thinks we should hold it at Nao-chan's house. That way we can surprise her and it wouldn't be a problem for Nao-chan to return home since she lives a little far. And we should bring Nanako-chan with us as well."

It didn't sound bad to Kanji's ears but he wasn't so sure about this. He didn't want them to make a mess at her apartment. "But, will she be okay with this? What about the food?"

Chie smiled at this. "Oh, we could make the food together just like last time." Yosuke and Kanji cringed at the suggestion. "We succeeded the last time we worked together, so I'm sure this time it'll be easier. And I bet Naoto-kun will enjoyed spending time with us there."

"Dude, seriously! What if Mystery Food X makes a comeback?" Somewhere in his stomach, Yosuke felt it twist.

Rise giggled by Kanji's side. "Oh, don't be silly! Naoto-kun's a perfectionist when cooking. It was thanks to her that we got that cake to be delicious. She kept telling us to keep trying until we got it right."

"If you say so…"

They all exchanged glances as if reaching a decision, then Yukiko spoke up. "I guess we all made up our minds? In two days we'll meet again just before dinner time by the Maryukyu tofu shop and catch the bus at the Central Shopping District."

Kanji grunted. "Seems fine with me."

"Teddie agrees!" The bear beamed, waving a hand in the air again.

Yosuke nodded and stood up. "I guess that does it." He turned to face Rise. "You're done eating, Rise?"

She nodded with a smile. "All done! Let's go, I can hear the school bell."

* * *

"Uh, what are you doing, Naoto-kun?"

Rise and Kanji both stood there at the back of the classroom, watching Naoto as she kneeled on the floor and looked around the room. Earlier during afternoon classes, Rise noticed the other girl had been searching under her desk and chair as if she had lost something. She also noticed Naoto looked disheveled while she searched the whole place. But Rise wasn't stupid, she had a suspicion of what the detective might have been looking for.

Naoto didn't stop her search not even when the other two addressed her. "My hat." She said as if to point out how obvious the situation was. "I'm sure I left it on my desk…" She secretly hit herself in her mind for leaving her hat alone for a while. She didn't use her hat during the classes as a sign of respect, but that afternoon the teacher had asked her to fetch some material for their Math class and she wasn't sure if she had left it in the bathroom. She had inspected the last one right after class and there was no sign on her precious cap. It was like as if it had disappeared.

"Oh." There wasn't surprise in Rise's voice. "I was wondering if it was that…"

Naoto stopped then. Her back was facing them then and so she turned her head to look back at them. "You didn't take my hat, did you?" Man, Naoto could really be scary sometimes, but right then she had just surpassed the line of scary. They could practically feel the venom in her voice.

Both of them shook their heads furiously, taking a step back. "No, Naoto-kun. Why would we do that?" Rise let out a nervous giggle when she sensed the deadly aura coming out of the smaller girl.

Kanji gulped knowing well that they had to be careful around Naoto whenever she got angry. "I'm sure you'll find it soon, Naoto. If someone took it, well, you wouldn't have a problem finding the culprit either. You're good at this stuff."

Naoto turned to face them. She was standing by the teacher's desk talking and looking to the other two across the room. She opened her mouth to say something but then she paused and looked down, crossing her arms in the process. Yes, thievery would be the best explanation in this situation, and she came to believe it the more she thought about it. She just had lost her cool when she couldn't find her hat anywhere so now she decided to calm down and gather all the information her memory could tell her. Things didn't just 'disappear'.

"Want us to help you look for it?" Rise offered.

Naoto shook her head. No, this was a job for a detective. She would solve this mysterious disappearance of her hat as if it was any other case. She was a proud Shirogane and she would not fail this mission. "No. I'm quite capable of solving this case." The serious tone was back on.

'_Case_?' Both Rise and Kanji seemed confused at this.

"In any case, you must be busy with your families' business, so I won't be bothering you two." She hadn't missed Kanji's bag earlier which had looked more stuffed than usual and some of the fabric had been sticking out so she suspected the taller boy needed to head over to the textile shop and help his mother with the fabrics. Hadn't she refused their help he would still help her.

Kanji and Rise frowned but nodded and headed for the door. "Well, we'll see you tomorrow."

As soon as the other two were gone Naoto started working on the new case at hand. She walked over to her bag and took out a notebook and pen, listing down all the hints and information she could gather from that day and then studied from what she could come up with.

'_I'll find you, thief_.'

* * *

Thank you for reading. ~ 3


	3. Channel 3

I'm surprised with myself by how active I've been with the story. I guess I just can't seem to stop myself. I'm usually lazy with this sort of stuff. XP  
Hmm, and this chapter is longer than the usual...

Hope you enjoy the 3rd chapter!  
Also, if you see any grammatical or spelling errors, notify me. Sometimes I don't check the stuff I write well enough even when I reread it.

**NOTE:** Keep the following in mind when reading the story.

- "talking"  
- _'thinking'_

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 4 or any characters in it.

* * *

**CHANNEL 3**

**#Birthday#**  
**{The surprise}**

Friday, April 27th of 2012  
-Clear Sky

Naoto rolled a pencil between her fingers, biting the inside of her mouth from time to time as Ms. Kashiwagi gave them their morning lesson. The teacher was saying something about Elastin and how it made you look pretty, in that sultry voice of hers. It seriously annoyed Naoto to no end when she first came to school, having to deal with useless information that wouldn't help her deal with cases. She had good grades and it wasn't like school was going to make her much smarter. But then, she couldn't deny that some of the stuff they learned was interesting, and it was true that even the littlest of information could become crucial when investigating and finding a culprit.

"Did you know that Elastin is a protein and is located almost in every part of our body?" Kashiwagi told the class, sitting on the teacher's desk and smiling mischievously. "Like its name suggest it gives elasticity to our body structure, mainly the skin and blood vessels. It degenerates with age causing us to look more wrinkled as time passes. Which is why you find its name on many beauty products that claim to make women look younger."

Thinking of finding the culprit, Naoto hadn't found the thief of her hat yet. She had analyzed every little bit of data and she was now 100% sure it was indeed taken. She was also certain she hadn't left it in the bathroom which made her suspect the thief would be someone in their class. It was from there that Naoto hesitated a bit. There weren't many people she could point a finger to, and she had eliminated quite a handful of classmates.

She turned her head to her side, looking at Rise Kujikawa who was busy writing on her notebook. A short glance to what she was writing and she corrected herself, seeing as the former idol was actually doodling on the lines of the book. It wasn't much of a surprise since Rise barely paid attention during classes, but things were more complicated during Kashiwagi's classes. The voluptuous and seductive teacher hated Kujikawa for her popularity with the boys and often asked the pigtails girl a number of questions in order to humiliate her during class. Naoto had come to realize this after seeing first-hand Kashiwagi's lesson with Rise in class.

Perharps she had stared at Rise too much, but the other girl seemed to noticed Naoto looking at her from the corner of her eyes and turned her head slightly, giving her a sweet smile, her legs crossed and swinging a little. Naoto decided that it was her cue to look away. However, she couldn't deny to herself that she suspected Rise for stealing her hat. She was one of the classmates closer to her desk so it would be easier to get it.

A groan escaped her lips. She hated walking around outside without her hat. It was a part of her, something she just had to wear every single day. Without it, she felt naked in front of people. Ever since two days ago, when the thievery happened, she had been blushing more than usual, there were more stares on her as well as whisper as she passed by people. Yosuke had told her she looked quite cute without her hat yesterday, and Naoto hadn't reacted very well to that either. Kanji too. He came up to her that morning before class and said she didn't look bad without it, while looking red in the face. She wondered if the boy had some problems with his circulatory system as he seemed to blush a lot.

"Well, since Kujikawa's so interested in this class, why don't you answer this question: What is Elastin composed of?"

At her desk, beside Naoto, Rise groaned and locked gazes with the detective, pleading for help.

* * *

As the final bell rang across the school, students scattered and moved around, picking up their belongings and heading out. Kanji leaned back on his chair, yawning and stretching his arms. Another day of school was finally over.

Someone tugged at his sleeve and he came face to face with Rise who leaned closer. "Kanji, don't forget our plan for tonight~" She whispered, smiling widely. "We're meeting at my Grandma's shop later so don't be late."

He raised an eyebrow wondering why the hell Rise was telling him that when Naoto was seating right behind him. "Rise, can't you-…"

"Ssshh…" Rise brought a finger to her lips. "We don't want to wake up Naoto-kun now, right?" She continued whispering, her eyes looking away from him and to the seat behind him.

'_Wake-up_?' Kanji turned on his seat and was surprised to see the detective girl sleeping on her desk with her head resting on her arms. Blush crept to his cheeks almost immediately. '_C-cute…!_' Naoto was probably tired from their classes, especially after that exhausting PE class. She was pretty tough for a girl, but not much with the physical part.

"Ooooh~… What's that look for, Kanji? Are you having thoughts about Naoto-kun? She does look quite adorable this way. It's not everyday we get to see her like this." Rise smiled and took a step back, watching Naoto. She then waved a hand. "Well, I gotta go now, need to get the stuff and ingredients ready for later. I'll see you there, Kanji-kun~!"

He turned completely on his seat and watched the girl sleep. His cheeks were red and he could feel them burn. It was quite rare to see Naoto with such a peaceful and innocent look on her face and he found himself staring endlessly at it. He knew he should have woken her up, telling her classes were already finished, but he just wanted to keep looking at that pretty boyish face of hers. It was ridiculous how everyone believe she was a boy, now that he looked closely at her features.

"… Evidence…" Naoto mumbled in her sleep. "… Need… evidence…"

Kanji sweatdropped. Even in her dreams she didn't seem to stay away from the detective business. The girl was seriously dedicated, he thought. He placed an elbow on her desk, his chin resting on his palm as he watched her. He could stare at her forever…

By the time Naoto stirred the sun was already setting. She groaned and shifted a little, blinking rapidly and lifting her face. She felt a hand over hers and her eyes widened when she saw Kanji asleep on her desk. He had his head resting on the surface of her desk and a hand was covering one of hers. Seeing so, she blushed.

Looking outside the window she noticed the sky was beginning to have a certain tint of orange and red and wondered how long she had been sleeping. The clock on the wall read around seven o'clock. They had been there for a long time; the school would be closing anytime now.

Still blushing a little, Naoto slipped her hand out from under his and placed the other on his shoulder, shaking him carefully. "Kanji-kun." The boy didn't stir and instead snored a little. Surprisingly Naoto found this rather cute. "Kanji-kun." She tried again, this time louder.

A groan. "W-wha…?" His eyes fluttered open and he moved his head, his eyes snapping open when he saw Naoto staring down at him. "Wha-! N-Naoto!" He paused to look at himself, realizing he has fallen asleep while he had been staring at her sleeping form. "I-I.." Man, what could he say?

Naoto tilted her head to look at Kanji who was looking away from her. She wasn't blushing anymore, now it was Kanji's turn. "How long have I been sleeping?" She asked.

Kanji mumbled something then looked down. "I dunno… I only noticed after classes finished, y'know? I-I…"

"Why did you not wake me up?"

His eyes widened and he made the mistake to look at her, blushing harder now. "W-well, I… You, you seemed tired and peaceful, so I decided to wait for you to wake up, y'see…" '_And you were cute. I couldn't just wake you up!_' He added in his mind.

Naoto nodded as if understanding, though she really didn't. "I see…" She looked away. "We should get going now. It's getting late." She moved to stand up and Kanji did the same.

They walked down the school corridors on their way to the exit. Once they reached the main gates Kanji turned to her. "Hey, uhm… m-mind if I walk you home?" His eyes drifted of to the side, red staining his cheeks. "W-well, it's just, uhm, you see… It's late so…"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "My apartment is way farther than your house, Kanji-kun. Won't that be troublesome for you?" When she saw the way his shoulders slumped and the sad look that had taken over his face, she added. "But I suppose that if you still want to, I have no objections to it. After all, you were quite generous and waited for me to wake up. I think I needed that extra sleep." Thinking further into the matter she really thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to have him accompany her to the apartment. It was her birthday after all, now that she remembered. The others hadn't said anything about it, but she supposed that they didn't know about it. After all, she didn't recall telling them her birthday and she was used not celebrating such occasion.

Kanji smiled widely and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Oh, r-really…? Ah, that's, uh… great!" He bit his lower lip. "Y'sure?"

Naoto smiled honestly. "Yes, I'd love that."

* * *

The walk towards the bus stop had been rather quiet between them and few words were exchanged. Each felt a little awkward and couldn't tell if the other enjoyed the silence whenever they ran out of words, but decided they didn't want to risk looking like idiots by bringing up random stuff. Sometimes Kanji would glance to Naoto during the silence, blush creeping to his face, but would immediately turn away whenever she looked back. At those times Naoto wondered if Kanji thought she looked different without her hat on. She knew she felt uncomfortable without it…

At the bus, the two took a seat at the back. Naoto sat by the window and Kanji right next to her. "You'll be using the bus to go back to the Central Shopping District, am I correct?"

Kanji nodded. "Yeah, it'll pass by the same stop later so it ain't a problem. S'good."

Naoto reached her hand up about to grab the brim of a hat that wasn't there and she stopped midway, realizing her mistake, her eyes widening. It was a matter of habit and she was frustrated with it as it reminded her of the thievery every time it happened. During those two days such action happened more than a couple of times. "Sorry." She mumbled.

"Ya don't need to apologize! It ain't your fault!" He said. "Say, have you got any leads to this thief?"

She frowned. "I can't say I know who's done it yet for sure. I'm in need of more evidence to determine the true culprit." He heard her grunt. "This is a disgrace. Something like this… I should have had figured it out already! Whoever this person is, I'll make sure he or she suffers the consequences of such act."

Kanji winced noticing how mad she was about the fact. "Well, good luck with that. I've asked a few people around but there ain't anyone who has a clue…"

"We can't trust anyone at this point." She crossed her arms and slid down on her seat a little.

"But hey! You're an ace detective, no problem! You'll find your hat in no time!" He said, trying his best grin. She didn't look at him nor did she nod or say anything, she just frowned, which didn't make any of them feel better. He sighed. "Don't worry, 'kay?"

"Who do you think did it?"

He blinked at the sudden question. "Who do I think? Well, I dunno… There ain't many people who would dare challenge you…"

'_Of course, I already knew he wouldn't be able to help in the situation…_' She turned her head to the window and sighed.

A frown formed on his face and he looked to the other side, a hand rubbing the back of his neck. They sat there in silence for some time when he then heard Naoto say something. It was too low for him to understand though. "What?" He asked.

She turned to him with a small smile. "It's my birthday today."

Kanji blinked. "Oh, uh… Happy birthday." He told her smiling himself, but felt awkward. Naoto had no idea of what he and the others had planned for her. "Um, uh… sorry."

Naoto simply smiled. "Don't say that. I understand that you didn't know." She sat in a more comfortable position. "And I don't celebrate it for many years now."

"Don't ya like celebrating it?"

"That's not it." The young detective looked away. "I used to celebrate my birthday when my parents were still around. However when I started living with Grandpa, the situation became different. My Grandpa is a busy man. The first year I was under his care I got sad when I realized he wasn't celebrating it with me. I was a child back then so I couldn't understand… but the same happened every year. All that I would get on every birthday would be a present from him." She was still smiling, despite everything. "My hat was one of his presents." She didn't see his eyes widen then.

The bus came to a stop and Naoto noticed they had arrived at her street. She had been distracted talking with Kanji that she had almost missed the stop. Excusing herself, Naoto stood up and walked past Kanji.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Kanji-kun." She said, looking back.

Kanji watched her leave through the doors, his face not showing any sort of expression. When she got out of the bus and before the doors close, Kanji got up himself, walking out right after Naoto, stepping onto the street. The girl tensed when she sensed Kanji's presence behind her and she turned on her heels to face him. Her eyes were wide and she was clutching to the handle of her bag on her shoulder. He could see the confusion on her face since he wasn't supposed to get off on that stop and the bus was already driving away.

"K-Kanji…? What are you-…"

"There they are!"

Both Kanji and Naoto turned their heads to see their group of friends standing at the end of the street by the door of her apartment. Nanako was also with them. Naoto frowned at this, suspecting something amiss and walked over to them, Kanji following her steps.

"So Kanji-kun was with Naoto-kun all this time!" Chie exclaimed, her hands on her hips and clearly not amused. "Sheez… You'd think he would contact us about it." She turned to Kanji. "You kept us waiting for you at Rise's!"

Kanji gulped and chuckled nervously. "Oh, uh, sorry…"

On the other hand, Naoto was trying to figure out what had led the others to come to her place. This certainly felt different and she hated feeling ignorant. "What are you doing here?" She asked to the group.

"Isn't it obvious?" Chie asked, looking at her now.

Out of nowhere, Rise jumped from her place and glomped Naoto with a big hug. "Happy birthday, Naoto-kun~!"

For a moment Naoto stood there speechless, all eyes on her waiting for something… anything out of her. A reaction. The girl just seemed too shocked for words. And after what felt like an eternity (but was in reality a minute) Naoto finally managed to say something. "Happy… what?" Her eyes were wide and she was still surprised with the whole situation.

She turned her head, looking up at Kanji. The other boy blushed furiously and looked away, grumbling. She had thought none of them knew about it. She thought this year was going to be like the others. Oh how wrong she was… She had made a fool of herself. They had known about it all along, Kanji too, and there were all here, wishing her a happy birthday.

"Since it's your birthday we decided to spend some time with you." Naoto looked at Yosuke as he talked. "We also wanted to surprise you so we just kinda decided to stop by your place."

"Aawww, look at your face, Naoto-kun~! You're blushing! How cute~" Rise giggled, letting go of the shorter girl. What she said made Naoto blush even more and wish she could hide somewhere.

Instead, she looked down hoping her hair would hide her face even if it was a little. "B-but…! This…" She fidgeted with the collar of her jacket, trying to find the correct words. "Umm… I-I…" She couldn't remember the last time she had a birthday party for her. With this surprise and everyone here, she just didn't know how to react to the whole thing.

"I hope you're okay with this. We didn't want to make you uncomfortable." Yukiko spoke up, sounding caring.

Naoto shook her head furiously. "Oh, no. It's just…" She looked up and bit her lower lip. "I'm happy…" She admitted.

Everyone smiled at that. In truth, they had all been nervous whether she would take this well or not since they all knew Naoto was a serious person, but once those words were out of her everyone was relieved and, even more, very happy. They all approached her, patting of her back and hugging her, giving her wishes, all the good intentions while the birthday girl tried to maintain her composure and failing miserably at it. For once she didn't know the right words to use, she was blushing madly and embarrassed while still joyous that her friends cared about her.

"We get to do a birthday party, right?" Nanako asked, looking from Naoto to Yosuke and smiling. "They're fun!"

Yosuke grinned at that and Naoto nodded. "A-alright… let me just get my keys…" She said, reaching for her pocket and leading the way inside the building.

The others followed her inside and decided to go up the stairs since they were too many to fit into a single elevator cubicle, all the while chatting happily. Besides, Naoto didn't live very high up so it wasn't that very tiring to walk up the stairs. They walked a long hallway and stopped at the end where they saw a door with the name 'Shirogane' on it. Naoto fumbled with the keys and proceeded to open the door while the others waiting patiently behind her.

"I kinda wonder how Naoto's apartment looks. We've never been there before…" Said Yosuke.

Chie looked at him with her eyebrows furrowed. "What difference does it make? I'm sure her apartment looks better than your room, that's for sure."

"Hey! You haven't been to my room so what right do you have to say that stuff?" He stopped there, looking around, realizing what he just said. "N-not that I'm implying anything, you hear me?" Embarrassment was clear on his face.

"There." Naoto said. Everyone turned to look as she opened to door widely for them.

Without even waiting for an invitation, Teddie ran inside beamed with excitement. "We're going in! Teddie first! Oh, oh! I get to see Nao-chan's room!"

Kanji gaped and ran inside, after him. "What the hell, Ted!"

"Hold it, bear! You're not supposed to go to a girl's room!" Yosuke yelled, running after the other two as well.

Chie's eyes widened and she wasted no time following the boys. "Hey, guys! What are you doing?"

Naoto couldn't just believe what was happening beyond her eyes, in her own apartment. "W-wha… That's-!" After taking the shock, the detective girl snarled and ran inside. "How dare you! That's invasion of property!"

Rise and Yukiko giggled as they watched the scene. They turned to Nanako with smiles and each grabbed a hand. "Well, let's go inside." Yukiko said, pulling Nanako with them. The little girl nodded happily.

Inside the apartment, chaos was already issuing.

"Oooh… Teddie found something interesting…"

"Teddie!"

* * *

Naoto sat on her couch, holding a book in her hands. It was a mystery novel, one she had been looking forward to read and had been released just recently. It was also her birthday present from everyone. She couldn't help but smile while looking at it. Yosuke had said something about how they knew she liked mystery books and of the sort and that everyone came up with the same decision for her, though Teddie had said that Yukiko had been the one to pick the book for her.

The others were gone by now. Yosuke and Teddie left earlier than the others, sometime after dinner, saying that they would take Nanako back home. Later that night, the girls said they needed to go as well and Naoto couldn't help but raise a suspicion when Yukiko and Rise giggled when they walked out the door. Rise had even whistle, causing a reaction from Kanji.

Speaking of Kanji…

She stood up and placed the book on the nearest table before heading for the kitchen. She stopped by the door and leaned on the door sill watching as Kanji cleaned the dishes. A smile formed on her lips as she appreciated the scene. The other boy was just too good for his own, always helping people. He was even too focused on what he was doing that he didn't notice her by the door.

Chuckling lightly, Naoto walked over to his side. She grabbed a towel so to wipe the dishes Kanji washed. "You didn't have to, Kanji-kun." She told him, smiling but not looking at him.

Beside her, Kanji glanced at her, blushed then turned back to his work. For some reason he was scrubbing the dishes more vigorously. "It's no big deal. I told Ma I'd be late and there was no way I was gonna leave you to clean all that mess." He said, passing her a plate.

She took it with her right hand. What Kanji meant with 'mess' Naoto knew very well. With Teddie around, the living room had become quite disorganized and that was right from the beginning when he started 'looking' around and poking his nose everywhere. Not to mention the 'little' fight Yosuke and Chie had right after dinner had caused some furniture to drop out of place. Fortunately, the place was in its normal state now as they had cleaned the living room first and all there was left to do was deal with the kitchen. "Well, this place had never been in that state before. Only I live here so it's not like I have a lot to do." She explained.

"You sure do keep this place organized…" Kanji looked down at the sink, fishing a glass. "Why do you live here anyways? Your gramps owns an estate, right?" He passed on the glass and started washing the last plate.

"I don't let the work pile up. Besides, an organized place leads to better results." She took the plate after wiping the glass as Kanji turned off the water and wiped his hands on a towel. "The estate is outside the town. I visit him frequently but I decided to rent an apartment so I could learn how to take care of myself. Yakushiji-san works for my Grampa and he used to take care of me, doing almost everything. I thought I depended much on him so it was about time I got my own place."

Kanji moved to the counter. "Well, you got guts. It ain't easy to live by yourself." He started to work on cleaning the surface since there were still rests of food from the cooking. "What do you do with the food?" He asked casually.

A pause. "Don't laugh…"

He looked back at her with a scowl. "I did nothing!"

Shifting her weight a little, Naoto sighed and placed the utensils in their right place in the kitchen. "Well, I'm not confident in my cooking skills, so I usually buy my own meals. Same with the school lunches." Almost everyday at school, Naoto would buy lunch there. Then, checking to see if the utensils were placed correctly, she turned on her heels and saw Kanji carrying a rather heavy-looking kettle. "Here, let me help you with that." She said, walking over to his side.

He shook his head. "It's okay, I got it." '_Damn, how does _she_ carry this stuff?_' He wondered. If it was heavy for him he was sure the other girl wouldn't be able to move it around. And why the hell did the girls require such a big and heavy kettle?

Naoto leaned on the counter, crossing her arms and looking over the kitchen, still gripping the towel she has used earlier. "However, I have been practicing from time to time. Ever since that time when we cooked the cake I realized I lack a lot of abilities in the matter."

"Heh, but the dinner was kinda good. Y'know, not _that_ good but it was good enough. Believe me, those three improved a lot from the last time. Yosuke-sempai and Souji-sempai were the unlucky ones to taste the worst one yet." He chuckled and rubbed his hands together once the work was all done.

"Well, Rise-san didn't bring many ingredients this time so we couldn't make that many of attempts. Though I am glad it was at least edible."

"No worries, it was good. You did great!" He said, grinning at her and removing the apron he had been using.

He got a smile from her. "Thank you." She said. "I had fun today."

They walked out the kitchen and back into the living room where they sat by the sofa. Kanji grabbed his bag and motioned Naoto to come closer. "Come 'ere. I have something for you." He said as he reached from something inside the bag.

Naoto complied and took a seat next to him, wondering what he wanted to show her. Her thoughts came to halt however, when she saw what Kanji was holding out to her in his hands. A gasp had escaped her lips and she covered her mouth with a hand. Right there, in front of her, was her precious hat. The one she thought had been stolen. And she blinked as it finally came to her. With all the thinking and investigating, she hadn't considered Kanji as a suspect at all, which now seemed to fit right into place. The fabrics she had seen days back, sticking from his bag, were actually pretty close to the color of her hat. It hadn't been Rise, who sat beside her, but Kanji who sat in front of her and was much closer to her desk. Her eyes looked up to his.

Feeling nervous, he avoided her gaze. "Uh… sorry I took this without permission. I couldn't stand seeing it in that state anymore so I… I-I got it fixed for you." His hands trembled a bit and he held the hat to her pushing it her way. "S-sorry."

Her eyes blinked and she took the soft material in her hands, turning it over and inspecting every single detail. She was shocked to see the amazing work Kanji had done with her hat. It was almost professional. It looked exactly as she remembered it to be. "Kanji… How did you do this? It looks as if new!" She exclaimed, still staring at it.

He blushed and scratched his head while glancing at her. "Well, j-just some sewing here and there… n-nothing really."

Naoto smiled widely and placed the hat on her head where it belonged. She turned to look at him making Kanji's heart skip a beat. "Thank you." She whispered.

His eyes widened and for a moment his hands flew to his nose, thinking he was about to have a nosebleed. By far, this had been the best 'thank you' he had ever received from anyone. The look Naoto was giving him at that moment looked so innocent and happy and not something he was used to see on her but at the same time so right. If only she smiled more. "Oh, um… Y-you're welcome." His voice came out a little muffled as his hands were in the way so he removed them and placed them on his knees instead. "I was gonna give it back to ya yesterday but then I thought why not make it as a birthday present or something…" He cleared his throat before continuing. "Uuhh… well, I suppose s'not that special."

That earned him a pout, which almost made him fall off the couch. Naoto just did _not_ pout. "What are you talking about? You know how important this is to me." She said and blushed lightly. "I-I'm very grateful…"

He blinked and smiled sheepishly. "So, no charges or suffering, right?"

At first, Naoto hadn't really understood what he had meant with it until she remembered the talk on the bus ride. She chuckled and closed her eyes. "I'll forgive you this time."

"Oh, s'right!" Kanji exclaimed, reaching for his bag again. This time he took out a thin material. A photo. "Here. This was inside your hat."

Naoto took the photo from him and stare at it; a sad smile slowly forming on her lips. On the picture was a happy couple holding a baby between them. They all had dark hair. The man was tall, had an arm over his wife's shoulders while the woman was shorter, was holding an infant in her arms, her hair long, straight and beautiful. They were smiling to the camera, appearing as a loving and happy family.

"They're yer parents?" Kanji asked, tilting his head to see her face.

Her hands shook a little and she took a few seconds to answer. "… Yes."

They sat there in silent, Kanji letting Naoto have her moment as she continue to stare at the family portrait. He could tell by the way her hands trembled, the way she looked to the photo, that Naoto was trying hard to keep her emotions in check. He suspected the girl wanted to cry but was just too proud to do it in front of him. So he decided it was time for him to go.

He cleared his throat again and stood up. Naoto immediately looked at him. "I guess there ain't anything else for me ta do here. I'll be heading back. Ya stay well, 'kay?" He showed off and goofy grin and walked over to the door.

Before she thought about what she was doing, Naoto was already on her feet. "Kanji." He turned from his place at the door, his hand resting on the handle. Her eyes looked down. "Thank you… for everything."

He smiled back. "S'no big deal." The door was open and he took one last look at her, "See ya, Naoto."

* * *

Thank you for reading.  
Reviews are very much appreciated. ^^


	4. Channel 4

Another chapter to the story. Kinda short and nothing really special happens. Clearly not the best, even I'm not that proud with it but I decided it was needed.

On another note, I'd like to thank the people who have reviewed this story. It encourages me to keep writing, so thank you very much. =)

Hope you enjoy it anyways!  
Also, if you see any grammatical or spelling errors, notify me. Sometimes I don't check the stuff I write well enough even when I re-read it.

**NOTE:** Keep the following in mind when reading the story.

- "talking"  
- _'thinking'_

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 4 or any characters in it.

* * *

**CHANNEL 4**

**#Exam#  
{Pencil}**

Wednesday, May 2nd of 2012  
-Cloudy

The sky was gloomy again. It was a wonder how the weather seemed to fit the situation so well. Exams were right around the corner and the students (or the majority of them) were focused studying. This time always brought a gloomy aura to the school and there weren't even any extra-curricular activities after school during the week of preparation either.

Kanji was walking along the pathway to the school, one hand in his pocket and the other holding his school bag. He grunted under his breath, recalling last night when his mother kept reminding him and reminding to study for the exams. It just wasn't for him. Well, it was since he was a student, but he couldn't drown in those books for long without falling asleep on them.

"Kanji!"

At the call of his name Kanji looked back and saw Teddie and Yosuke run up to him. "Hey!"

When they reached Kanji, Yosuke elbowed the taller boy playfully. "So…! I heard you and Naoto stayed at her apartment together after the birthday party." He said, grinning widely as they continue their walk.

Teddie gasped. "Huh? Yosuke! Who told you that? Kanji and Nao-chan…!"

A groan was emitted from Kanji. "Cut it out! It ain't like that! And I didn't stay at her house, dammit!" He glared at Yosuke who just grinned back. "I just helped her with cleaning, that's all! Then I went back home."

"Whatever you say, man." Yosuke winked at him.

At Kanji's other side, Teddie pouted visibly. "How dare you, Kanji! Nao-chan is such a nice girl! Who ever said you could just take her like that?"

The things they were saying certainly didn't help as now Kanji was fighting with himself to not to hit the other two or blush even harder than he already was. "S-shut up! Nothing happened!"

Yosuke groaned. "Seriously? Nothing happened between you guys? After we went and gave you and opportunity to stay with her alone? What a waste…"

Contrary to the other two, Teddie looked quite happy. "Well, now Teddie nows he can still have Nao-chan, just like the others girls, all for himself." He glared at Kanji. "You hear me? You better not do anything to Nao-chan!"

"Do what to me now?"

"AAaaaahhh!"

The scream had been Teddie's. The three guys jumped, not having noticed that Naoto had been standing by the gates just as they entered the school. They all stared at her with wide eyes and panting from the scare while the detective just stood there looking cool.

"Jesus Christ-… Don't scare us like that, Naoto!" Yosuke said, scolding.

"Damn, I was scared shitless!"

Naoto frowned at Kanji's choice of words, but sighed, letting it slide and pressed the matter instead. "What were you talking about?" She asked.

Yosuke immediately grabbed Teddie by his arm, pulling him to him and placing a hand on his forehead. "Holy-… Teddie, you're burning! There's no time to waste! We must take you to the nurse's office immediately!" Before Teddie could say anything he was already dragging him away from Kanji and Naoto at full speed.

"What? I'm not-! Yosukeeeeee….!"

Naoto and Kanji watched as the other two disappeared from view. Then, as silence filled the air around them, Kanji glanced at Naoto and winced when he saw her glaring at him. Of course, _anyone_ could tell that that move Yosuke just pulled was fake, but what fault did he have there?

"Kanji."

He chuckled nervously. "Heh, you know Yosuke-sempai and Teddie… Going on and on about their teasing." He looked away for a moment. "It's nothing new."

"Does Yosuke-sempai bother you with the same subject every time?" She asked somewhat surprised.

Kanji hesitated before nodding. "Yeah, but he's been doing it since they first got me out of the TV."

Naoto seemed lost in thought. "He's been talking to me about you, quite often if I must say…" Kanji lost his balance for a moment. "So I was curious as to what sort of things he was been discussing with you. Still, my theory that the subject could be connected must be at fault seeing that he's been pressing this matter harder on me only just recently while yours seems to have started ways back. The way he has been acting feels rather confusing… and I can't say that I enjoy it." She frowned.

He shrugged and placed his bag over his shoulder. "Just Yosuke-sempai being Yosuke-sempai. Just ignore him if he gets on your nerves."

Her fingers grasped at the brim of her hat and the lifted it so she could have a better look at the much taller boy. "In any case, Kanji-kun, have you been studying for the exams? We start them in five days."

'_She just had to ask that…_'He grimaced for a few seconds then forced a smile to his lips. "O-of course I have! It'll be a piece of pie! No problem!"

The look on her face told him she didn't believe a word he had said. "You should study, Kanji. I'm sure your mother would be very happy if you got satisfying marks on your exams… We didn't have a study gathering this time, but I'm hoping you'll continue working at home."

"Yeah, I got it…" He frowned at looked somewhere up.

A sigh escaped her lips but she smiled nonetheless. "Well, then shall we be on your way now? Classes are about to start."

* * *

Monday, May 7th of 2012  
- Rain

The students sat by their respective desks, some eyeing the papers on it, others were glancing at the clock and the rest biting their nails. The teacher stood by the blackboard, taking a look at his wrist watch then comparing to the school clock. As the minutes arrow hit the number 12, the educator clapped his hands together and turned to the entire class.

"The exam will take place now."

Naoto and the rest of the students turned the papers and started working on answering the questions. It was a multiple choice exam like always, so it made things slightly easier though some of the options appeared quite similar. Of course, this was no problem for our favorite detective. She wasn't the top student of the year but she was amongst the top 10 and with her good memory she was capable of remembering the information they had learned during class as teachers often went from there.

It was no problem for her. Her pencil was filling the squares, one after another almost as if automatically. She found the questions easy on her opinion and she was confident in the answer she picked for each.

PICK PRIIIICK…

The exam was indeed very easy. She wondered if the teachers were going perhaps too easy on them.

PICK PRIIICK…

Although perhaps she would have even less difficulty if there wasn't a sound disturbing her thoughts.

PICK PRIIIICK…

What was it anyways?

PICK PRIIICK…

She glanced to the desk beside hers. Rise was biting the nails of one hand while the other worked on the exam. The look on her face made Naoto understand that her friend was having a hard time with it.

PICK PRIIIICK…

No, it wasn't Rise. The annoying sound was really close too.

PICK PRIIIICK…

It sounded like… Naoto sighed and took a look around the classroom, making sure the teacher was not looking at her. Then she shifted in her seat and leaned to her right to see what Kanji was doing to be making such a disturbing noise during the exam. He was fairly big so she had a hard time getting anything. But then he leaned towards the window and Naoto was finally able to capture something.

PICK PRIIIICK…

Her mouth dropped.

A pencil rolled on his desk. Kanji picked it up, looked at it and repeated the same process. Over and over and over again…

Naoto slapped her own forehead. It shouldn't have surprised her as it did, but it still seemed ridiculous to see Kanji resort to such old tricks. As if it was going to help him… She groaned and shook her head, turning her attention back to the exam.

In spite of that, it should have gone better for her. Everything was going so well, but now she couldn't concentrate on the exam properly. She hid her face in her hands. The sound going over and over all the time.

PICK PRIIIICK…

* * *

Thursday, May 10th of 2012  
-Cloudy

By the last day of exams, when everything was all done with… Naoto wanted to kill Kanji.

It wasn't just pointing a gun at his head and shooting. She wanted to stomp him, crush him, annihilate him, making him suffer for all he made her go through. Her ears were still ringing with that same annoying and distracting noise, over and over, and she could swear she had become insane after enduring it for fours days straight.

'_Curse you, Kanji.'_

School was finished for the day and she was found leaned across her desk like a dead man, plus the deadly aura that emitted from her. It sent chills down anyone's spine whoever dared to approached her within a radius of a meter.

Movement on the seat in front of her made her snap, out of a sudden. In a blink of and eye, Naoto stood, knocking down her chair in the process, and gripped Kanji's shirt collar with both hands, sending her classmate a deadly glare. Only her desk was separating them. "Kanji Tatsumi… I very well expect you to study the next time." She wasn't yelling, no. It was the low tone of voice in the way that she said it, the deadly intent behind it, the venom in every word that made it far scarier.

Kanji Tatsumi simply stared at her in shock, confusion and fear. Yosuke once said Naoto looked cute when she got mad, but damn, he needed to reconsider his words and see this side of her. Kanji didn't know what to say to her either. Rather, he was scared that if he opened his mouth she would do something unexpected.

"You… you imbecile! Do you know how much you made me go through during these fours consecutive days of exams? I swear I can kill you right now…" She gritted her teeth and Kanji cringed. "I'm supposed to do well and get good grades, I studied for them… Why? Why must you torture me so?" She was almost loosing it then, but she stopped and took a deep breath releasing her hold on him. Everyone in the room was looking at them. Naoto glared at him then looked away, grabbing her stuff. "You're studying with me, I don't care. I'll do anything, _anything_ to rid myself of the pencil-…" He turned on her heels. "I need to go now." The last sentence came out much calmer and normal than the rest, as if she had finally come back to her normal true self.

Every student made way as Naoto stormed out. All eyes were one her till he was out of view, then they all turned to Kanji who was seating on his desk, his uniform jacket had fallen on the floor and he was looking all flustered and shocked. He slid down from his chair to the floor wondering what the hell had just happened.

"My, what in the world did you do, Kanji-kun, to make Naoto loose her cool like that?"

He jolted and turned his head to the side to see Rise leaning down and smiling at him.

Man, he wished he knew.

* * *

"Hahaha! Are you for real?" Yosuke said, between laughs. "Pfft! Man, I wish I was there to see it!"

The group was once again gathered at Junes, chilling out at the roof now that the exams were over. Minus Naoto who had walked out from the classroom after that little incident and no one had seen her since. It wasn't like anyone would dare look for her with her in that state.

"I was so shocked, Yosuke-sempai. Naoto-kun suddenly attacked Kanji-kun, right after the exam, ready to kill him on the spot." Rise giggled. "I didn't know she was the violent type."

"Kanji, what did you do to poor Nao-chan?" Teddie said in an accusing tone.

"Look, guys! I dunno, 'kay? I moved to stand up and she just grabbed me and startin' saying stuff that didn't make sense!" Kanji groaned and looked down. "Will, you drop it now?"

Rise hummed and giggled some more. On the other side of the table Yukiko was already in a laughing fit. Fortunately for Kanji, Chie came out with something else to talk about. "Hey guys, are you excited about the Courage Test, next week?" She asked.

When Kanji cocked an eyebrow and looked around when the others reacted accordingly, it was pretty obvious that he was the only one who didn't know what Chie was talking about.

Yosuke bobbed his head a little. "Well, I'm not _that_ excited about it. But it is something new that we're doing this year and it _is_ better than picking up trash, so… maybe it'll be fun. It would have been better if they had this planned last year, though."

Kanji blinked. "What're you guys talking about?"

There was a moment of silence where everyone turned to face Kanji. "… Kanji, don't you ever look at the notice board?" That had been Chie, who had leaned forward in her chair.

"The student council decided that this year we would hold a school activity we've never done before. Its objective is to improve sociality and even maybe help out the crushes in school. Well, the last part is just what the girls have been saying…" Yukiko said, smiling. "It'll be during the night, after school, and students will have to go through a dark and dangerous path near the shrine then meet with someone at the end where it would mark their success in passing the Courage Test. All students are invited to participate. It's not mandatory since it won't affect our grades and it's not part of the school program."

Yosuke frowned. "Yeah, but the third years are the ones who plan the thing and scare people."

He received a soft punch in the arm from Chie. "But that's where the fun lies!" She said in excitement. "I think scaring others is way more fun than being the one to get the scare. We'll have to do our best, scare as much people as possible and make them turn back."

"Well, the second and first years get their fun too!" Rise leaned back on her chair and smiled. "We get to go in pairs so we won't freak out as much. Of course, I'm sure some couples will be formed after this. The girls are all excited. It's been the topic of the month."

Yosuke bit the inside of his mouth. "Yeah, that's true. So I guess our mission is not only to test courage but also test out some of the love birds out there. Kinda like a match-making program, huh?"

"Nothing will scare Teddie! He will win this test and protect his fair maiden." Teddie told the others, using his charming voice.

Finishing drinking his soda, Yosuke looked at Teddie and snickered. "Who would want to go with you? You'll probably be the one to scream and run."

Teddie gasped and pouted. "How mean!"

Rise turned to Kanji and winked at him. "That's right, Kanji-kun, you'll want to go with Naoto-kun, right? You'll protect her! I'm sure anyone would feel safe around someone as tall as you."

His cheeks blushed again and he glared at her. "W-what? I ain't interested in this stuff!"

She smiled. "Come on! It'll be fun!"

Kanji looked to the side, avoiding Rise's gaze. Although he did wonder if this was another chance fate was giving him. Would Naoto agree to go with him? He wondered if it was a good idea… the pint-sized detective seemed mad at him, judging from the earlier incident. She probably wouldn't want to see him nearby for days.

* * *

Ignore my ridiculous attempt to make the sound of a pencil hitting the desk and rolling on it. It was the closest I could get. Haha...  
For those who are not familiar with Kanji's trick, what he did was write the choices (A, B, C...) on the sides of the pencil, rolling it and picking the answer that would be facing upwards. It's a matter of chance of course.

Thank you for reading. ^^


	5. Channel 5

Another short chapter. I was about to move directly to the Courage Test mentioned last chapter, but then I decided that it didn't make much sense. I thought it would be a lot of time-skipping and life isn't only about interesting moments. So here we have some more moments at school following the exams.

This chapter might have some spelling or grammatical errors like the others did because it has only been re-read. You may notify me if you find any mistakes.  
Thank you. =)

Enjoy!

**NOTE:** Keep the following in mind when reading the story.

- "talking"  
- _'thinking'_

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 4 or any characters in it.

* * *

**Channel 5**

**#Smiles and Faces#**  
**{School time}**

Friday, May 11th of 2012  
-Rain

Quite surprisingly, the next day, everything seemed to return to normal.

When Kanji arrived at his classroom door he had hesitated to open it, fearing how Naoto would react after yesterday's occurrences. After opening it and looking inside carefully he saw Naoto at her desk as Rise talked happily to her from Kanji's seat. He was quite surprise when both girls turned their heads to him and greeted as normally as ever.

"Kanji~ Hi!"

"Good morning, Kanji-kun."

He had flinched when Naoto had opened her mouth but when instead of her deadly voice he heard a calm and serene one, he almost couldn't believe his ears. After what had happened he was betting the detective girl was going to make him feel her wrath or worse (even if he still had no idea what he had done to make her as mad as she had been).

Feeling a little uncomfortable and realizing he hadn't said a word yet, Kanji walked over to them and dug his hands in his pockets. "Uh, mornin'." he told them. He hung his head low, eyeing the shortest girl carefully. 'Maybe she wants to do her yelling in private…' he thought.

Rise had her chin resting on her palms and was looking from Kanji to Naoto, back and forth, with a smile from ear to ear. But when no one said a word, she saw no other choice but to make a move herself. With a swift movement of her body, Rise stood up from Kanji's chair and laced her fingers behind her back. "Kanji-kun, have you had a lot of customers buying your hand-made stuffed animals?"

Naoto raised her eyebrows curiously. This was the first time ever hearing that Kanji made stuffed animals. True, she had heard from Souji-sempai that he sewed, but this was different. She hadn't suspected or even come to think that the tall boy with the bleached-blond hair made stuffed toys.

On the other hand, Kanji had blushed furiously taking the color of a vivid red and had almost fallen backwards on his own feet. "W-wha...? I t-thought you said that was c-creepy!" He brought an arm up in attempt to hide his flushed face.

In reaction to this, Rise giggled and hummed a little. "Well, I thought it was at first, but then… the plushies are very cute. I was wondering if you could do one for me one day…"

Kanji frowned. "Yer just playing with me!"

"No, silly! I'm serious!" Rise smiled, finding Kanji's reaction to this too much fun.

Naoto looked up at Kanji. "You are quite talented, Kanji-kun." she said with a small smile. "You seem to surprise me every time."

Hearing a compliment from Naoto was making Kanji Tatsumi go nuts. Was this really the same Naoto from yesterday? "S'n-nothing!" He looked away from her just in time as Rise pinched his cheeks.

"Aww, you're so cute, Kanji~" she said in that high-pitched tone of hers.

Their moment was interrupted, however, when the door opened and the teacher walked in. The students all went to their seats and greeted the teacher in unison. Mr. Sofue smiled and called out the names before starting another history class.

* * *

After school, seeing as it was raining, Rise came up with a great plan. She knew it was great and that it would succeed because she was the one who had planned it. She surprised herself for even thinking about it. With that, she was sure Kanji would thank her.

Right after class she made a sprint for the lockers before Kanji or Naoto could get there first and quickly grabbed Kanji's umbrella (with some sort of difficulty since he usually placed it above the lockers). Then, she walked over to the nearest trash bin and forcefully pushed the umbrella inside. Kanji wouldn't be happy to know that she had trashed his umbrella, but the sacrifice would be well paid.

The next thing she did was go back to the lockers, just in time as Kanji and Naoto approached. She made sure she was well composed and acted as normally as possible. Years of acting made it possible for her. "It seems the rain hasn't stopped yet…" she told them when they got to her, her head turning to the front doors seeing the rain pour. Letting a few seconds go by, she then looked back to the other two with a smile. "That's too bad, Kanji."

He cocked an eyebrow at her in confusion. "What?"

Rise waved a hand and sighed, making a pitiful face. "Well, you know, because you forgot your umbrella."

"W-wha… I didn't-!"

Rise turned to Naoto who had walked over to her locker. "Naoto, don't you think you-"

Naoto nodded. "Indeed, it is very unfortunate. I too have left mine at my apartment." She then whirled around to face the two. "I'm afraid a run for the bus is scheduled. I'll see you two, tomorrow." Grabbing and holding her belongings close to her body, Naoto made a run outside, through the rain and out of the others' view.

Rise and Kanji stood there by the locker in complete silence for many minutes, Rise staring at the door and Kanji staring at Rise with a frown on his face.

It took a while before he finally spoke a word. "What the hell did you do to my umbrella?" There was clearly anger in his voice.

Rise let out a nervous laughed, looking at him for a moment. "Huh huh huh… huh… it's in the trash can." Finally she sighed and frowned. This was not how it was supposed to happen but it wasn't her fault she hadn't predicted Naoto wouldn't have brought her umbrella, right? She had this perfect plan, a perfect way of making Kanji and Naoto share a single umbrella and walk their way together under the rain. There had just been a minor slip.

"You did what? That was my umbrella!" Kanji growled. He shook his head and headed for the doors.

"W-wait, Kanji! I can share mine with you…!" She called out to him but he was already out in the rain… without his umbrella.

Rise groaned loudly and called names at no one (but were really for Kanji), before grabbing her umbrella and stuff and heading home herself. This had not been her fault.

* * *

Monday, May 13th of 2012  
-Clear Sky

It was another week, a week many were both excited for and dreading for. Excited because on Friday they would be having the so talked 'Courage test'. The girls were all gossiping about it and deciding on pairs for the next Friday. And dreading because of that day, the day when the result of the exams would be posted on the notice board.

Yosuke and Teddie were already there, in the middle of the big mass of students, looking at the results.

"Teddie, what is that?" Yosuke asked, frowning while staring at the board.

The blond only tilted his head quizzically. "What is what?"

"That! What kind of mark is that?"

Teddie looked over the long list of students from the first year and saw his named almost at the end. "Oh, there's my name! How is it? It that good?" he asked with a smile.

Yosuke groaned and brought a hand to his face. "Ugh, are you kidding me? You're almost in the bottom of the year!"

Still smiling, Teddie asked. "Is that a good thing?"

"No!"

"Hi there, sempai, Teddie!" Came a cheerful voice. The two boys turned their heads to see Rise walking towards then, waving a hand in the air, Naoto and Chie on both her sides. "Have you already checked the results?"

Yosuke sighed and sent a short glare towards Teddie before looking back to the girls. "Yeah… not too happy with it though. Teddie isn't any better."

Teddie pouted. "B-but… Teddie did his best…"

Chie grinned. "Oh, I thought this time the questions were a little easier than usual! I'm hoping to get a good mark!" She then began to push her way through the crowd. "Excuse me, coming through! Coming through!" Once she reached a satisfying position, she looked over the third year results. "Let's see…" There was a loud gasp followed quickly by an agry stomp on the floor. "I don't believe it! I was sure I'd get something good this time! Why am I right behind Yosuke?"

"Well, it should be obvious! I'm smarter than you are!" Came Yosuke's voice.

Pushing through the crowd again, Chie walked back to the others. "You did _not_ just say that…" She snarled. "That's not true!"

Yosuke crossed his arms and smirked at her. "It so is."

While Chie and Yosuke started another yelling fight, Rise and Naoto heard a couple of students nearby commenting about the results of the second years. "Man, that's a shock. This is the first time Shirogane isn't in the top ten, right? Who would thought she would drop her position like that?" said one of the boys.

Naoto frowned at this while Rise raised both her eyebrows. Another boy nodded to the one who had spoken. "Yeah, what's up with that? Isn't she supposed to be like super smart or something? So much for being an ace detective..."

Rise made a face and turned to face Naoto. "Don't listen to them."

Yosuke and Chie stopped their brawl to look to the younger girls. "What's wrong?" Yosuke asked, looking at Naoto who had become very quiet and was looking away from the others. "Oh yeah, the second year results are just over that side of the board." He said looking to the board again. The first and second year results were closer to where they stood so he didn't have to push past people like Chie did.

The former idol took a step forward towards the board and looked over the names. "Let's see here… my name should be… Oh there!" She frowned. "Ah well… I wasn't expecting anything good…" She then noticed Naoto's named much further down from where it usually was and and she found herself at a loss for words. "Oh… uhm…"

Naoto shook her head, her face serious, just finishing looking at the notice board. "It's not important. I'll get better next time." she said, her voice heavy with determination.

"Well, Kanji-kun's looking nowhere near good." Chie commented looking at the board as well.

There was a laugh from Rise. "Well, it's no wonder. He gambled his exams with a roll of a pencil."

At that, Naoto visibly flinched and the others looked at her. "Nao-chan?" Teddie asked, frowning in worry.

The detective shook her head and pulled her hat over her eyes. "It's nothing…"

After that, Chie turned to Rise with new curiosity. "So, Kanji-kun didn't know anything? He just went with luck?"

Yosuke couldn't manage to hide a snicker. "That Kanji…"

"I hope he realizes this doesn't help him get anywhere. Sheez, I hope he gets serious with this! It's no good if he fails a year." Chie placed her hands on her hips and tapped her foot on the floor.

Rise simply shrugged. "It's Kanji we're talking about. Oh right, I wonder if he's seen his exams mark yet…" She turned on her heels. "I'll go get him."

Teddie turned back to Yosuke. "So… Teddie did good?"

"I told you already! No!"

"What? Teddie could've done better than Kanji! Teddie knows for sure that he's smarter than him!" The blond defended himself, glaring at Yosuke.

Ignoring the boys for a moment, Chie turned to Naoto. "So, what's up, Naoto-kun? You're so quiet today… You're not still upset with your results, are you? You still did better than any of us."

"It's nothing, Chie-sempai." The other girl shrugged and turned to walk away. "Excuse me, I'll be going back to the classroom. Lunchtime is almost over." she said, bowing her head a little and walking away from the others.

She didn't have to be reminded of Kanji's trick, more like she had been hoping that she wouldn't have to touch such subject ever again. The annoying sound had returned and she was fighting hard to get rid of it… again.

* * *

Thank you for reading. ^^

I seriously love writing Teddie and Yosuke. XDD They're so much fun.


	6. Channel 6

Another update to my fanfic. Moving on to the Courage Test. XD I took a little longer to write because I was busy with other things and I kept rewriting this.  
Well, let's hope you enjoy it!

Let me just warn you that there might be a few mistake and errors, although I did reread the story. It's just that I'm still lacking a beta-reader... X(

**NOTE:** Keep the following in mind when reading the story.

- "talking"  
- _'thinking'_

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 4 or any characters in it.

* * *

**CHANNEL 6**

**#Courage Test#  
{The Haunted Night}**

Wednesday, May 18th of 2012  
- Cloudy

She shouldn't be there. The ambience and feelings around her didn't feel right. It was night and the sky was dark, stars were shining and the moon was full. The temple and the area were illuminated only with small lanterns, giving the place this eerie and uneasy feeling about it. Around her, students still in their uniforms were chatting excitedly between them, girls trying to pair up with boys, the boys challenging each other, betting on who would be the most courageous of them all. Each student had also been given a paper lantern so their visibility wouldn't be compromised. Her grip tightened on hers as she noted the long line of students she was in.

It was all Rise's fault. The loud girl had been all 'Oh, Naoto-kun, let's all have fun tonight and meet at the Temple!' but hadn't even mentioned they would be taking part in this whole 'Courage Test' everyone had been talking about. Seriously, she didn't even find this 'fun'. Looking up and to the side, she frowned. Apparently, the other girl had also dragged Kanji along noticing how uncomfortable the boy looked. It just didn't seem right. They were here just for Rise's idea of 'fun'.

"It's almost our turn." Naoto heard Rise say, as the other girl placed both hands on her shoulders from behind. The four of them, Naoto, Kanji, Rise and Teddie were in the line mixed between the other first and second-year students. Only Rise and Teddie seemed stirred about the event.

The young detective whirled around to face the former idol with a scowl. "Rise, I am not willing to do this." she told her.

Rise tilted her head at this and cocked an eyebrow. "Why not? Are you scared?"

"Who would be scared of such childish games?" Naoto shook her head and groaned. "I'm not interested in such activities."

Not managing to hide her laugh, Rise merely giggled. "I think you're scared, Naoto-kun. But that's alright! It's too late to go back now…" She looked behind Naoto, watching the last pair walk into the dark path between the trees. "It's our turn now!" she said with a smile.

The four of them walked over to the table where two third-year students were. The head boy was seated on a chair checking the names while the head girl handed out a candle for each pair. "Names please," asked the boy.

Rise walked forth, hands behind her back. "Rise Kujikawa, Naoto Shirogane and Kanji Tatsumi from class 2-1, and Teddie from class 1-1."

The third-year students exchanged glances when Rise mentioned Naoto but nodded. "And the pairs?"

Naoto frowned at this. She would rather go alone than go with any of the three there with her. Well, Kanji was probably the best choice out of them, but she just knew that if she went with him, Rise would be using that as another thing to tease her. Whenever the subject concerned Kanji, the former idol seemed to find anything to be used against her. However, before Naoto could decide anything, Rise lunged at Teddie. "I'm with Teddie!" she said.

The pint-sized detective's brows furrowed at Rise's decision. She would have thought that the other girl would have gone for someone like Kanji. She wasn't sure Teddie would be able to comfort Rise during the event. Her mind told her both of them were going to end up in tears by the end if the path was the least scary. "Are you sure, Rise-san?" she asked. Naoto had thought perhaps the best decision would be for her to go with Teddie. She knew how jumpy the bear was.

Still, Rise shook her head and clung to Teddie's arm. "It'll be more fun if I go with Teddie." She winked at her and Kanji. "You should totally go with Kanji, Naoto-kun."

Naoto's eyes looked up to the boy with the bleached blond hair, who shifted uncomfortably in his place.

"Hehe…" Teddie placed an arm over Rise's shoulders. "Not to worry, Rise-chan. I, Teddie, will make sure nothing happens! This furry bear will protect you like he did for his beloved friends at the striptease club."

The third-years, plus Naoto, looked at Teddie with a weird look and Kanji suddenly became awkward with the situation. The shorter girl would have asked what the blond meant with 'striptease' if they were in another time and place, but she didn't as she had the feeling this was related to the world inside the TV.

"Grrr… don't mention that…" Came Rise's annoyed voice.

The head girl then took a step forward, handing Rise a white candle. The boy then looked up to them. "Here are the rules. The objective for each pair is to reach a shrine at the end of the dark and dangerous path where they will light their candle." Naoto couldn't help but notice the use of the word "dangerous". "The path is filled with obstacles and tests with various forms that will test how brave you are. As a pair you can depend on each other to work through this course. You're free to walk back if you fear going any further, but be aware that you will fail if you do so. The test will only be completed once the pair shows their respects for the spirits at the shrine. Any questions?"

"How should we return to this spot?" Naoto asked.

"Oh, don't worry about that. There's a shortcut at the end that will lead you back here to the temple. And there will be third years helping your way back." The third-year girl student replied, smiling at them.

Rise giggled. "Let's go, Teddie!" she said excitably, pulling Teddie with her.

Teddie's face betrayed him then as his eyes widened. "Not so fast, Rise-chan!"

After the two of them were out of view and behind the trees, the older girl handed Naoto a candle as well. The detective turned it in her hands, looking at it. "Good luck." The girl told them.

Turning on her heels, Naoto then looked up at Kanji who was looking back at her. "I believe we should be going then." she said, turning away and pulling down her hat to cover her eyes.

They were asked to wait a few minutes to keep a certain distance from the previous two, so they wouldn't be meeting the others on their way. Naoto took this time to think about the possible tests they would be confronting and already planning their way past. Then, when they were given the 'okay', Naoto started walking first, Kanji trying to catch up so he wouldn't be left behind.

* * *

The scream slowly disappeared into the distance, silence taking over again. Yosuke breathed in a sigh and went back to his hiding place behind the bushes. The task was easier than he had expected but he would have still preferred if he had been chosen to dress up as a hideous monster and not just some dead human's ghost. That probably had to do with the fact that he was early in the path and the third-year students wanted to make things harder as the others walked further into the darkened path.

He picked up a walkie-talkie from under the leaves and pressed on a button. "Yosuke speaking. Coming in from position number 01-004."

There was a little pause, then a voice. "How many times do I have to tell you? You're supposed to say over." Came Chie's voice. "Requesting update from your location. Over."

He sighed. "Target has successfully walked past… uh, actually ran past."

A pause. "…Over." she insisted. "Target's identities? Considering we know them, of course. Over."

"Positive. Targets were Rise Kujikawa and Teddie. Target number 021 looked shaken but was dealing well, while target number 022 panicked and forced target 021 to follow him." He hesitated before saying... "Over."

"So Teddie freaked out, huh? That's not so surprising… Chie Satonaka from position number 03-018 will bring them down. Over."

Yosuke froze when he heard the sounds of steps nearby and leaves of bushes being moved aside. He slowly straightened from his kneeling position and peered, seeing two people approaching with two lanterns with them, each holding one. He hid himself again, face determined. "Victims number 023 and 024 sighted. Will proceed with the mission. Over."

He placed the device on the ground again, covering it with the leaves and moving from his place to a nearby trunk. There was a hardly visible thread and he pulled the string causing a couple of bells to sound over the place.

"W-what was that?" He heard a male voice ask.

"Calm down, Kanji-kun. I'm sure it was nothing."

A grin spread across his face. So it was Naoto and Kanji's turn, huh? This was bound to be interesting… He stealthily maneuvered himself to another tree. At its roots, Yosuke picked up a switch, turning it on. Many lanterns were lightened, hanging by thin strings on the trees branches, making it look as if they were hovering by themselves. He also pulled on another thread causing them to start swinging.

"E-eh?"

Going back to the previous tree trunk and making the bells ring again, he then prepared for his next move. '_Time for the ghost to show up_…' He grinned one last time, before then trying to keep a serious face. Picking up a lantern for himself, he then stood up slowly making himself be noticed by the other two. He was wearing a lot of make-up and face powder (much to his dismay) so he wouldn't be recognized in the dark.

"Who dares walk into my territory…" he said in a dreadful and haunted voice. Voice acting was actually one of Yosuke's strong points. "I will punish you…"

He was surprised to see Kanji scared, even maybe, trembling in his place, his mouth agape, eyes widened, and legs threatening to step back. Beside him, Naoto was staring at Yosuke with that usual expressionless face as if it were nothing. Looking better, Yosuke thought perhaps the girl was forming a way to pass the current test. But who would have guessed Kanji feared this sort of things. Maybe it was expected from Naoto to stay calm since she was a top detective after all…

"What the hell?" Kanji blurted out.

Yosuke narrowed his eyes. "You will not walk past here... I will place a curse upon you beings…" He saw a look of surprise on Naoto's face. '_Shit, she recognized me!_' He began thinking of what he was supposed to say next and trying to disprove the detective girl's of her discovery that he didn't pay attention to the other presence there, not until he heard a growl.

Kanji was glaring at him, his eyes flashing with anger and Yosuke felt himself cower a little. It was all futile since the tall boy was acting like a mad bull. "Alright! Ya wanna mess with us? Ya gotta deal with me! Uraaah!"

Yosuke's eyes widened to the size of plates and he took a few steps backwards just as Kanji lunged at him like a lion attacking for its prey.

"Kanji-kun, wait! That's—"

"WHAT THE—"

Everything became a blur. Yosuke didn't know what exactly happened then. He felt himself falling back by force and his head hit the ground painfully. There were also a few strange noises that sounded like growls. Blinking rapidly and trying to focus his view, Yosuke slowly managed to get his sight back, although his head was still spinning. The darkness of the night also didn't help, but he was certain there was a mad person towering over him, his eyes glaring at him and then, a few seconds later, softening and turning into surprise.

"Yosuke-sempai?"

The boy with the brown hair groaned, sprawled on the ground with his arms and legs wide open. He felt like he had been crushed by an elephant.

There was a sweet voice beside him, or at least it sounded sweet comparing to the mad lion who attacked him earlier. "Yosuke-sempai, are you okay?"

He turned his head to look at Naoto and grinned, lifting a hand to show her a thumbs-up. "I-I'm alright…" In truth he still felt crushed. "This is nothing…"

"Did I kill him?" Kanji asked.

Yosuke moved to sit up, groaning. He saw Naoto glaring at Kanji, who now had an apologetic look. "You're taking this way too seriously, Kanji-kun." she said.

Kanji looked down and Yosuke felt a little sorry for the guy. "Hey, it's all fine, guys! It's only fun if you take it seriously." He grinned at the taller boy from his position on the floor. "You're some tough guy… Remind me not to get on your bad side again."

"Sorry…" Kanji said with a frown.

Yosuke shrugged and leaned back on his hands. "Well, off you go. You guys can't stay here forever since there's going to be another pair coming up… Test completed! After all Kanji here took down the ghost will all his might." He laughed then lifted an arm to show his bicep. "Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine. I'm tougher than I look."

Naoto looked at him for a few more seconds before nodding and standing up, grabbing her lantern in the process. She glanced towards Kanji mentioning him to follow her. "Let's go."

The other boy nodded and Yosuke watched the two of them disappear into the distance.

Now to get ready for the next victims…

* * *

They had been past about six tests already. Every single time Kanji had freaked out in every possible way, In the first stop, he was so quiet Naoto swore he looked like a statue before snapping and yelling so loud he scared their senior schoolmate; on the second one his face looked so twisted the poor girl that was supposed to scare them fainted from fear; the third, Kanji bit his nails so much he was almost drawing blood when Naoto made a deal with the fox demon who was, in fact, just another sempai; at the fourth test, Kanji had overreacted and attacked Yosuke; and at the fifth, he almost wet in his pants when they got a scare by a third-year student who suddenly jumped at them with a loud scream (that had made even Naoto jump); when they reached the sixth they were greeted by a bloodied girl in a gown and Kanji fell backwards on his behind, scrambling away from the girl as much as possible. Now they were heading for the seventh test and the boy was shaking all over while following the detective girl.

Naoto had been constantly looking back to the other boy over her shoulder, checking to see how he was dealing with the whole thing. By the twentieth time, she stopped in her tracks and turned around to face him. "Are you alright, Kanji-kun?" She felt the need to ask since Kanji hadn't been able to stop shaking for quite a while.

Despite that, however, he nodded to her and forced a smile. "S-s'good! I-I-I'm o-okay!" He had stopped walking when Naoto did and was now standing in front of her. His hand moved up and he scratched the back of his neck. "I-It's not l-like I-I-I'm a-afraid or a-anything… I-I'm n-n-not!"

She frowned, easily seeing through his lie. It was clear that the tall boy was scared even if he was denying it. A single look at him and anyone could come to the same conclusion. "You don't need to be scared, Kanji-kun, there are no real spirits. All you've seen until now were merely constructions, tricks and illusions. There is nothing to fear."

In response to that, he narrowed his eyes at her. "Dammit, I said I'm not—" He stopped speaking abruptly when he saw Naoto reach out a hand for him. His brows furrowed in confusion, now suddenly uncomfortable. "W-what?"

Naoto sighed and kept her arm stretch, offering Kanji her hand. "Take my hand." she said simply.

Only he didn't. He stood there staring at it, his mouth open. He couldn't move a muscle.

Seeing this, Naoto impatiently repeated herself, taking a step towards him. "Take my hand, Kanji-kun. We'll feel safer that way." She made sure to use the plural so that he wouldn't feel offended.

Kanji hesitated, but seeing no other choice as he knew Naoto was stubborn, he took her small hand with his big hand. The difference in the size was almost ridiculous, but he tried hard not to think about the fact that they were holding hands so that he wouldn't faint from being so close to his crush. But then, choosing between spirits and Naoto was becoming a conflict so he decided to clear his mind a little, feeling his cheeks warm when he felt her hand pull him with her. The connection did help him ease and he was no longer trembling.

He just knew he had to be dreaming… This was too good to be true.

Although they had barely made a few minutes of walk, hand-in-hand, and Kanji felt shivers running down his spine when a creepy but strangely familiar noise reached his ears. He stopped, forcing Naoto to stop with him and he hesitantly looked around. "Ya hear something?" he asked, keeping his tone low.

Naoto frowned and dropped her shoulders. "You are most certainly hearing things." she told him, trying to convince him she was telling the truth even if there was indeed something they were supposed to hear. She watched as Kanji remained nervous, keeping an eye on his surroundings. A few seconds later and she heard it too. It sounded like… someone was crying.

BUUHUHUHU…

Kanji cringed and, without realizing, stepped closer to Naoto. The other girl didn't say a word about it as she was now focused on trying to find the source of the sound.

BUUWAAAAA…

She felt Kanji go rigid beside her. Looking up at him, she noticed he looked almost pale. In order to get his attention she tightened her grip on his hand. "Kanji-kun?"

He jumped visibly. Then, took a few seconds to compose himself. "Uh, wha?" He blinked down at her and shifted uncomfortably in his place. "Oh, uh… it's just, this sounds very familiar. I heard it before…"

Naoto raised an eyebrow at him. "You did? Where?"

He hesitated before speaking. "At the Amagi inn… the room we were staying in, it was the room where one of the murder victims had been… it was cursed, man! W-we heard the announcer's spirit weep during the night… I-it sounds the same…"

"So am I correct to believe that what you're saying is that we're now hearing the announcer's cries? That makes no sense, Kanji-kun. This place has no connection to Miss Yamano. Besides, I doubt there would be a curse with the case now closed." She shook her head and sighed. Talking with Kanji about reasoning when the other was as scared as he was and believing in spirits and ghost, the only way to prove him wrong would be to show evidence. But she didn't know herself what causing the noise. Perhaps a recording?

BUUHUHUHU…

She turned, her ears picking up the cries and headed towards the source, pulling a very reluctant Kanji behind her. Sure enough the sounds got louder and she was beginning to doubt her own reasoning. The crying felt too real… if someone was faking it, then they had to be professional actors, because those crying sounds were transmitting so much haunt…

"Naoto, s-stop it! This ain't good…"

She wasn't convinced and dragged him along with her, making sure their hands kept connected and the other boy wasn't going anywhere. And sure enough, there was… something. As they approached the source, the both of them could make out a large and round shadow. The crying was now much louder as they were closer and they exchanged glances between them.

BUUUUUWAAAAAA…

"W-what is that?" Kanji asked, feeling a little shaken again.

Naoto shook her head, uncertain. She looked back to the shadow just as it cleaned its nose on a blanket. If that was a person, it was one hell of a terrifying thing. The body was curled up by a tree, the back turned to them.

"Isn't that Hanako-sempai?"

Kanji looked down to Naoto when she spoke, then looked to the shadow. Well, if it was that fat sempai who had the idea that she was sexy, he couldn't tell. All he knew was he was freaked out by this.

On the other hand, Naoto had begun wondering if this was their next test.

"WHY… Why must they make me do this? I'm too beautiful for this! Buuuuuuhuuuu… I'm not supposed to be a scary myth…"

The two second-year students raised their eyebrows. Now they were _sure_ that it was Hanako. "Hanako-sempai?" Naoto called.

When the shadow turned to them, both jumped, their eyes widening, mouth cringing and they almost toppled over. Hanako's make-up was so ruined her whole face made her look like the most terrifying thing they had ever seen. Surprisingly they both reacted at the same time. They screamed, yelped, fumbled and tried to make a run for it. Kanji was faster at running so he ended up hoisting Naoto up and over his shoulder, without awareness of the actions he was performing.

They disappeared so fast from view they left a tear-stained, make-up ruined Hanako blinking before she went back to cry.

* * *

"Teddie, stop being a coward!"

Rise groaned running to catch up to the bear. The blonde was hiding behind a tree, seated on the ground, his arms over his head as if trying to protect himself. She sighed at the view and brushed a hand softly through his hair. They hadn't been dealing with the tests quite well. The both of them had been freaked out since the first stop, but Teddie had successfully passed them all by running away further into the path instead of going back. Rise was beginning to regret her decision of going with Teddie and wishing she had a guy like Souji who she could cling to and ask him to protect her. Teddie obviously didn't fit the role.

"Come on, Teddie! We need to get going… this isn't over yet." When he didn't move, she gave him a little push. "Hey, where's that brave king who swore he'd protect me?"

At that Teddie looked up, stood up in a blink of a eye, his face all determined again. "He's still here. There were just… some unfortunate events. I wasn't expecting a few things…" He chuckled. "There are a lot of scary things in this world that I wasn't aware they existed."

Rise crossed her arms. "They're just tricks…" she said.

Teddie smiled at her. "Then we must fight against these… tricks."

She rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm. "Come on, let's go…" She was scared herself but if she lost it the both of them would be doomed. Also, she was the only one with a lantern since Teddie had lost his a long time ago, so they needed her. Pulling at his arm she guided him so they could continue their way. She stopped after her first step, however, when she couldn't find the way and felt unfamiliar with the surroundings. Sweat rolled down her neck.

"Rise-chan?" Teddie asked, leaning forward to have a look at Rise's face. "What's wrong?"

She bit her lower lip nervously. "I think we're lost…"

* * *

Thank you for reading. ^^


End file.
